More Tahoe Project

Roadways, in particular the state highway system and some of the other high traffic roadways, are a disproportionate source of the ultra-fine particles that are causing the decline in Lake Tahoe clarity. In this interview Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, talks about the central question for today’s road managers in the Lake Tahoe Basin, “How can we better manage roads to reduce the amount of traction abrasives and roadway products that actually make their way into the stormwater and into Lake Tahoe?”

On a dollar for dollar basis annual operations and maintenance activities are more cost-effective at reducing pollutant loading and are cheaper than large-scale capital improvement projects, otherwise known as infrastructure projects. In this interview Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board points out that, “the challenge that we have right now is to figure out how we can help local government do the more cost-effective operations and maintenance activities that are needed to improve water quality.” Funds for capital improvement projects have historically been easier to secure in the Tahoe Basin than have been funds for ongoing operations and maintenance. This situation is not unique to Tahoe, jurisdictions across the country are seeking revenue sources to meet the need for operation and maintenance of existing infrastructure.

“We all depend on the benefits of transportation infrastructure so we all have a role to play in mitigating the impact of that infrastructure on water quality,” says Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. He says, “Everybody who is living in and enjoying this Tahoe basin has the responsibility to deal with the problems that result from the infrastructure we all use. We all need to be part of the solution.”

We now have the tools to understand how to prioritize. We know that doing everything everywhere is not the best strategy and now we have the tools to strategically make prioritization decisions for Lake Tahoe water quality. It doesn’t make sense to put our implementation dollars toward areas that don’t connect hydrologically to the lake. “The prioritization is critical,” says Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. “We have the tools to be able to assess where to put our dollars to make the biggest difference—to address the real problems. The actions we are taking under the Total Maximum Daily Load are directly addressing water quality. We can now have a conversation about the relative cost-benefit of taking one action over another,” he says.

Roadways, in particular the state highway system and some of the other high traffic roadways, are a disproportionate source of the ultra-fine particles that are causing the decline in Lake Tahoe clarity. In this interview Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, talks about the central question for today’s road managers in the Lake Tahoe Basin, “How can we better manage roads to reduce the amount of traction abrasives and roadway products that actually make their way into the stormwater and into Lake Tahoe?”

On a dollar for dollar basis annual operations and maintenance activities are more cost-effective at reducing pollutant loading and are cheaper than large-scale capital improvement projects, otherwise known as infrastructure projects. In this interview Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board points out that, “the challenge that we have right now is to figure out how we can help local government do the more cost-effective operations and maintenance activities that are needed to improve water quality.” Funds for capital improvement projects have historically been easier to secure in the Tahoe Basin than have been funds for ongoing operations and maintenance. This situation is not unique to Tahoe, jurisdictions across the country are seeking revenue sources to meet the need for operation and maintenance of existing infrastructure.

“We all depend on the benefits of transportation infrastructure so we all have a role to play in mitigating the impact of that infrastructure on water quality,” says Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. He says, “Everybody who is living in and enjoying this Tahoe basin has the responsibility to deal with the problems that result from the infrastructure we all use. We all need to be part of the solution.”

We now have the tools to understand how to prioritize. We know that doing everything everywhere is not the best strategy and now we have the tools to strategically make prioritization decisions for Lake Tahoe water quality. It doesn’t make sense to put our implementation dollars toward areas that don’t connect hydrologically to the lake. “The prioritization is critical,” says Bob Larsen, Staff Scientist at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. “We have the tools to be able to assess where to put our dollars to make the biggest difference—to address the real problems. The actions we are taking under the Total Maximum Daily Load are directly addressing water quality. We can now have a conversation about the relative cost-benefit of taking one action over another,” he says.

"How do we maintain this real place? That is a challenge that keeps me awake at night," says Tony Lashbrook. In this, part 2, of the conversation with the Truckee Town Manager hear Lashbrook's reflections on Truckee's authenticity and unique assets and about his team's search for prosperity when the traditional tools for redevelopment are no longer available.

"We are looking at how to foster development..." says Tony Lashbrook, Manager of the Town of Truckee. Truckee was on a wave of economic expansion based on its ability to accommodate second home construction when the present housing crisis and economic downturn hit. The Town of Truckee looked to California redevelopment programs as a way to move into a new era of progress in the Town when the state withdrew support for that program. In this interview hear Lashbrook’s perspective on the modern era’s boom and bust as manifest in Truckee.

The Edgewood Tahoe Lodge permit was approved with a unanimous vote of the 14-member Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board on August 23, 2012. Public comment at the meeting lauded the anticipated environmental and economic benefits of the project.

Welcome to part 3 in the interview with Patrick Rhamey, Vice President of Real Estate with Edgewood Companies. In this interview host Michelle Sweeney talks with him about the Edgewood Tahoe Lodge project. The existing Stateline Stormwater system treats runoff from properties that are on Edgewood Companies' land in the Tahoe Basin. Can this system serve as a model for collaboration opportunities elsewhere in the Basin?

Governors Jerry Brown and Brian Sandoval have a shared present under the holiday tree this season. The Tahoe Regional Plan package of updates was approved with the vote of twelve Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board members. This is an important step toward the potential repeal of Nevada Senate Bill 271 though there is a 60-day window during which litigation against the update could be filed, reversing that process. The Regional Plan update suite of documents and agreements has been nearly a decade in the making and rejuvenated dialogue between California and Nevada about management of their shared “jewel of the Sierra” —Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Region is updating its vision of its communities and the way they will look and function in the twenty-first century. Discussions are now underway in local communities around the Tahoe Basin about what they will look like and what their interface with the environment will be. Residents, homeowners and visitors to the Tahoe area are invited to participate in these planning opportunities says Joanne Marchetta in this fourth-in-the-series interview with the Executive of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

“Let the system focus on the places where you get the biggest environmental bang for the buck,” this is the advice that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) took from the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The flexibility that we have built into the system is based on this new paradigm that says: focus on the locations where you can get the greatest pollutant load reduction, says Joanne Marchetta, TRPA Executive. The pollutants at issue are ultra-fine sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus. Creating the regulatory flexibility to enable jurisdictions to go after these pollutants is a high priority undertaking in the Tahoe planning process.

In this interview segment Joanne Marchetta, TRPA Executive Director, responds to the question, "What is the role of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) in relation to incentive and means in the private sector?" In response Marchetta highlights how the TRPA is shifting into a more-regional role than it previously played. She says, “…[local government] knows that the way to protect themselves is to protect the environment here.” She underscores how the new regional plan envisions place-making happening in the hands of local citizens and local government, where TRPA plays a role in approving the plans and ensuring their consistency with the environmental sideboards set by TRPA while leaving local character to be determined by citizens.

The Meyers Community at Lake Tahoe is updating the Community Plan which describes the desired future of the area. Toward this end a community workshop, open to the public, is being hosted at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, November 7th at 2211 Keetak Street, behind the Lake Valley Fire Station. An update to the general plan for Tahoe Paradise Park will be an important aspect of discussion.

Norma Santiago is the District 5 El Dorado County Supervisor, representing South Lake Tahoe and Pollock Pines. In this interview Santiago talks about the Tahoe Regional Plan Update and opportunities to build trust and solutions. On Wednesday, November 7th, starting at 5:30 PM at the firehouse at 2211 Keetak Street, Santiago will host a workshop about the future of the unicorporated area of Meyers in South Lake Tahoe. Hear more in Part 2 of this interview.